Thursday, 27 January 2011

Commercial vehicle group Sherwood Truck & Van Ltd has named its latest employees of the quarter from its branches across the East Midlands, South Yorkshire and Staffordshire.

Dawn Bradshaw, dealership administrator at the company’s Sheffield site, Jez Moxon, workshop controller in Nottingham, Stoke-based parts salesman Kevin Merry, and finance administrator, marketing executive and PA to the managing director, Vicki Bird, based in Blackwell, near Alfreton, are each £100 better off thanks to the incentive scheme.

“It’s always a real pleasure to reward staff for their hard work and commitment,” said Helen Waterfall, managing director of Sherwood Truck & Van, which is based at Blackwell, near Alfreton, Derbyshire, and has branches at Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, at Lenton, Nottingham, and in Highfield Lane, Sheffield.

“Their efforts will ensure we maintain our competitive edge and continue to offer the best possible service for customers across all our sites.”

Sherwood is a leading supplier of new and used commercial vehicles, established in 1978. The company also maintains, services and repairs commercial vehicles across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire and most of Cheshire.

It is now best known as a dealership for Iveco trucks and vans – the second largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in Europe.

Sherwood prides itself on its service pedigree with a stock holding of more than 15,000 lines, a fully equipped accident repair centre and 24-hour roadside support.

Tuesday, 25 January 2011

Nottingham Language Academy is expanding its courses just months after opening by launching tuition in Mandarin.

The language school based at The Ropewalk in the city is now offering lessons at intermediate level in Mandarin, which has more native speakers than any other language in the world.

The morning class is being taught by an expert native speaker and has been launched in response to demand from students.

It brings the number of modern foreign languages taught at Nottingham Language Academy to seven.

“Learning Mandarin is becoming more popular as a result of China’s re-emergence on the world stage, but courses are not widely available, so I am delighted that we can now offer a course in Mandarin at Nottingham Language Academy,” said Linda Walker, who is a Business Language Champion in the East Midlands and who launched the language school in September.

The school, which offers tuition to individuals and businesses, also teaches English as a foreign language, alongside the modern languages of French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese and Greek.

Classes are run during the day, evenings and at weekends, and are designed for people who want to improve their job prospects, travel and see the world, live and work abroad, gain a place at university or learn something new for the fun of it.

The modern foreign languages courses are linked to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) which now forms the basis of language teaching and learning in most EU countries.

“It’s estimated that more than 800 million people in the world speak Mandarin, and it’s spoken by more people than any other language in the world,” said Linda. “As it’s spoken in mainland China and Taiwan it’s understandable that there seems to be a growing demand to learn it now.”

Tuesday, 18 January 2011

Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire is celebrating Farmhouse Breakfast Week this month (January) with the launch of a new Breakfast Pie featuring bacon, egg, sausage, beans, mushroom and topped with sliced potatoes.

The pastry-based pie, which has been created and cooked by the team at Croots, will go on sale for the first time during Farmhouse Breakfast Week – the annual campaign by the HGCA to raise awareness of the importance of eating a healthy breakfast.

Running from January 23rd to 29th, Farmhouse Breakfast Week also aims to demonstrate the variety of breakfast ingredients on offer in the UK.

“To celebrate this year’s Farmhouse Breakfast Week we’ve decided to put as many ingredients from a traditional English breakfast as possible into a pie and we’ve cooked up a Croots Breakfast Pie,” said Steve Croot, who runs Croots Farm Shop at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, near Duffield.

“Last year we unveiled a Croots breakfast banger to mark the occasion, but this year we’ve gone one step further and designed a special pie which is the complete cooked breakfast. It’s absolutely delicious.”

The farm shop has become renowned for its sausages and cooked meat products, as well as being a supporter of local producers and suppliers.

“This is the 12th annual Farmhouse Breakfast Week, and it’s something we have supported every year since we launched Croots in 2008,” said Steve. “It’s very important to start the day properly, yet one in four people skip breakfast. There are so many options for a quick and healthy breakfast, and Farmhouse Breakfast Week aims to promote that.”

During Farmhouse Breakfast Week, which this year has the theme of Shake up your Wake up, Croots will also be offering deals on a new range of cereals and juices.

Croots Breakfast Pie will be on sale in the shop and the café priced £2.75.

Monday, 17 January 2011

Premium curry sauce and accompaniments producer Anila’s Authentic Sauces is unveiling a stylish new branding at the Farm & More Trade Show on January 26th 2011.

The award-winning producer, which supplies to delis, farm shops, health food stores and quality food retailers across the UK, has designed new labels that reflect the distinct characteristics of the range.

The curry sauces, chutneys, pickles and dips are also being packaged in chic new jars to further enhance the image of the brand, which has won a string of awards for its products.

“The new labels give a clear message that the products created by Anila’s Authentic Sauces are speciality products, while at the same time highlighting the concentrated nature of the curry sauces,” explained Anila Vaghela, who founded Anila’s Authentic Sauces in 1997.

“What we provide are concentrated curry sauces that consumers use as a base to make a great-tasting, authentic home-made curry, as well as a range of fine, authentic pickles, chutneys and dips. We believe our new labels and jars will help us to stand out on the shelves, and really make a statement about the quality of Anila’s products.”

Anila’s produces eight premium concentrated curry sauces, handmade in small batches, as well as a range of 16 chutneys, pickles and dips made with single fruits and vegetables.

The firm has won 11 Great Taste Awards from the Guild of Fine Food for its products. Its Goan Green Curry Sauce was named Best Vegan Product in The Veggie Awards 2011 by Cook Vegetarian! magazine, with the judges saying: “Not only one of the best vegan curry sauces we’ve ever tried but one of the best curry sauces available. Its complexity of flavours makes its taste truly sensational.”

Dairy free, gluten free and with no added sugar, the curry sauces are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. They also don’t contain onion or garlic, which make them ideal for families with differing dietary requirements.

The new labels and jars are being unveiled for the first time at the Farm & More Trade Show - the farm retail exhibition being staged at Bournemouth International Centre on January 26th by FARMA, the national association of farm retailers and farmers' markets, and Lloyds Europa; Experts in Local Foods.

Anila’s Authentic Sauces is based in Walton-on-Thames with a unit in Hounslow, and is run by Anila and her husband Dan.

Anila’s products are sold at John Lewis Oxford Street and John Lewis Bluewater, and top quality gourmet stores, such as Harrods, Wholefoods and Planet Organic, plus hundreds of other outlets that include health food stores, garden centres and gift shops, as well as smaller independent stores such as Budgens at Ascot, Shepperton and Crouch End. Anila’s also sells direct to the public at around 20 farmers’ markets across Surrey, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire, including Guildford, Walton, Windsor, Maidenhead, Ascot, Ripley, Reading, Beaconsfield and Farnham, and online via www.anilassauces.com

Recent customer comments include:

“Your Hot Methi Curry was amazing!”

“I am in raptures of pleasure, your sauce is a triumph, I cannot praise it enough. The word exquisite does not do it justice.”

“Anila's Goan Green Curry Sauce tastes amazing, as good if not better than much of the food I ate whilst travelling in India a few years ago.”

Thursday, 13 January 2011

A new outdoor cooking appliance which uses half the fuel of conventional catering devices and can roast, fry, steam, boil and more, has been launched onto the market thanks to support from The Food and Drink iNet.

Entrepreneurs Phil Hards and John Sammut have invented a unique alternative for outdoor cooking, which they believe could not only take the catering world by storm but could also prove useful in disaster zones.

Now thanks to support from the Food and Drink iNet, which is funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), their device, which they have named the Charbecue, has just gone into production and will be on sale in the next few weeks.

Their next step is to promote the Charbecue and adapt the design to create a range of versions for various sectors, including the professional catering industry, sports clubs and the home. Phil and John, from Sleaford, Lincolnshire, are also establishing a version that could be used in disaster areas not just for cooking but for other uses such as sterilisation.

“It’s taken us several years to get from the initial idea for the Charbecue to a stage where we can go into production and we are very excited at launching the business,” said Phil Hards.

“Support from the Food and Drink iNet has been very important, as it has provided us with access to individuals with expert knowledge and skills that we did not possess. The support has been invaluable and has got us to the stage where we can now launch the Charbecue onto the market.”

The Food and Drink iNet operates across the East Midlands to support food and drink firms with innovation in all sorts of ways from introducing new processes and creating new products to developing new ways of working and new ideas. The iNet also brings together experts from universities to encourage key research into issues affecting the food and drink sector. Charbecue received £6,000 worth of Innovation Advice and Guidance support from the iNet. The company matched this support with its own investment.

The Food and Drink iNet Lincolnshire business adviser Rachel Linstead said: “Innovation Advice and Guidance support is designed to encourage innovation in businesses in the food and drink sector, and the invention of the Charbecue – through from inception to development - fitted the bill perfectly.”

Phil and John, who became friends through Sleaford Rugby Club, were inspired to invent a large-scale cooking device after John pledged to organise a hog roast in his garden about eight or nine years ago. They devised a prototype, which operated in a way that was different to a traditional barbecue or hog roast.

“The fuel goes on top, which makes the Charbecue unique,” explained Phil. “There were several limitations to our first design but we proved the concept that you could cook downwards and from then on it was a case of tweaking the design.”

Modifications introduced mean the Charbecue can now cook just about anything, not just meat but all sorts of other foods too, such as rice and spaghetti – making it extremely versatile. It is also very fuel efficient, using around half the fuel of conventional catering devices.

During development, the Charbecue has been used at a range of events including weddings and sporting functions. A professional chef used the Charbecue for a charity polo event in Surrey, where he cooked fourteen boned and rolled shoulders of pork, together with a suckling pig, all at the same time, whilst cooking more traditional foods on the top.

“Everyone who has tried the Charbecue has been very impressed with the results and how easy it is to use. There’s no need to constantly baste or turn large joints of meat, just keep it fuelled up. It’s very low maintenance,” said Phil.

Neither Phil, a former New Scotland Yard detective, now a computer forensics and investigations expert, nor John, general manager for Komatsu Mining in the UK, had any previous experience in catering but they hope their idea will take off not just in the UK but abroad too. They have commissioned a Lincolnshire fabrication company to produce the Charbecue. For more information about the Charbecue please visit www.charbecue.com

The Food and Drink iNet helps food and drink firms engage expertise from academia, research institutions and specialist business advice for innovation projects to develop new ideas, products and processes, to help companies grow. 50% of the equivalent cash value of the support must be contributed by the company.

The Food and Drink iNet co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands. One of four regional iNets, it has developed an effective network to link academic and private sector expertise and knowledge with local food and drink business innovation needs.

The Food and Drink iNet also aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and implement new products, markets, services and processes. It is managed by a consortium, led by the Food & Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region.

Wednesday, 12 January 2011

Customers and staff at Derbyshire farm shop Croots have raised £450 for local children’s charity Treats over the past 12 months.

The farm shop in Wirksworth Road, near Duffield, adopted the charity during 2010, and raised the cash through a number of initiatives including the sale of Christmas trees, selling carrier bags and the donation of fees given to farm shop owner Steve Croot for talks to local groups.

Customers have also collected around £400 over the past year for the Shire Horse Society, which takes the total raised by Croots for the charity to £1,000 in two and a half years since the shop opened.
Now Croots has announced that it will be supporting both charities again in 2011.

“Our customers and staff are very generous when it comes to supporting these two very different but very worthwhile charities,” said Steve Croot. “I’m delighted that Croots has been able to raise so much over the past year and look forward to helping Treats and the Shire Horse Society again over the coming 12 months.”

Treats Children’s Charity was launched more than 23 years ago by a group of professional businesswomen in Derbyshire to raise money for the children of Derbyshire and the surrounding region. Over the years, it has donated thousands of pounds to needy causes.

Croots Farm Shop is based at Farnah House Farm, which has been the home to Shire horses for many years.

Monday, 10 January 2011

Award-winning curry sauces from Anila’s are ideal for curry lovers with food allergies or intolerances…being dairy-free, gluten-free and sugar-free, and containing no onions or garlic.

With Food Allergy and Intolerance Week running from January 24th to 28th 2011, it’s the perfect time to discover how Anila’s Authentic Sauces can spice up the diet of anyone who has to take special care over what they eat.

Anila’s has a range of eight curry sauces, based on traditional Indian recipes. They have won 11 Great Taste Awards, and in 2009 Anila’s Spicy Korma Curry Sauce scooped a Free From Food Award. The Goan Green was recently voted Best Vegan product in the Veggie Awards 2011 run by Cook Vegetarian! magazine.

Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, as well as being sugar-free, gluten-free and dairy-free, they also, unusually, don’t contain onions or garlic, so are perfect for people with different intolerances or allergies.

“Producing items that are sugar-free, dairy-free and gluten-free is quite mainstream now, but I’ve noticed an increasing trend for people who are intolerant or allergic to alliums, like onions or garlic,” says Anila Vaghela, who founded the family-run business of Anila’s Authentic Sauces in 1997.

“I base my recipes for Anila’s curry sauces, chutneys and pickles on the dishes I create for my family, and don’t use onions and garlic. I seem to be gaining an increasing number of allium-intolerant customers who are delighted to discover that my traditional and tasty products don’t contain ingredients that upset them.

“Many people mistakenly believe that all curries contain onion and garlic, and curry-lovers could be missing out on their favourite foods because of this belief. But I don’t use alliums in my cooking or my products, and they are proving very popular.”

Anila’s also produces a distinctive and delicious range of 16 different mouth-watering ‘handmade’ chutneys, pickles and dips which are made with single fruits and vegetables, and team up perfectly with a variety of dishes, snacks, meats and cheeses.

Based in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, Anila’s also has a unit in West London. Anila’s products are sold at John Lewis Oxford Street and John Lewis Bluewater, and top quality gourmet stores, such as Harrods, Wholefoods and Planet Organic, plus hundreds of other outlets that include health food stores, garden centres and gift shops, as well as smaller independent stores such as Budgens at Ascot, Shepperton and Crouch End. Anila’s also sells direct to the public at around 20 farmers’ markets across Surrey, Berkshire, and Buckinghamshire, including Guildford, Walton, Windsor, Maidenhead, Ascot, Ripley, Reading, Beaconsfield and Farnham, and online via www.anilassauces.com

Food Allergy and Intolerance Week is held from 24th - 28th January 2011 and run by Allergy UK.

The Forum’s technical manager Richard Wigley helped the food service supplier to achieve STS accreditation, which is a requirement to supply for some of the major UK food service organisations.

Now the firm hopes it will open new doors and create additional business for Deli Conti, which supplies freshly cooked authentic pasta sauces and meals, marinated olives and a range of other foods and ingredients to caterers, restaurants, delis, pubs and other outlets.

The company, which is based at Victoria Business Park, Netherfield, has taken on three additional staff over the past six months and now employs eight people.

“Richard’s support and guidance has been invaluable in helping Deli Conti to achieve the STS accreditation, and we couldn’t have done it without him,” said Sue Vendone, operations manager at Deli Conti. “We knew that we were doing all the correct things in terms of quality assurance and food safety, but it was documenting it in the correct format that we needed help with, and Richard’s experience in accreditation proved to be extremely useful.

“Now that we have STS accreditation we will be promoting our products and it will increase customer confidence.”

The Food and Drink Forum, which operates across the East Midlands, supports food and drink manufacturers and others working in the sector in a number of ways, including providing help with food safety accreditations such as BRC (British Retail Consortium), STS and SALSA (Safe and Local Supplier Approval).

“Many retailers and food service operators demand accreditations from their suppliers so it makes excellent business sense for manufacturers to invest in gaining the standards,” said Richard Wigley.

“Having the correct accreditations can open doors with potential customers and lead to new business contracts, so I am delighted to learn that Deli Conti has achieved STS accreditation with support from The Food and Drink Forum.”

Among Deli Conti’s recent customers are a small chain of restaurants in the south and a large national chain of Italian restaurants.

The Food and Drink Forum is based at the Business Centre, Southglade Food Park, Nottingham. For more information about how the organisation supports businesses, please visit http://www.foodanddrinkforum.co.uk/
or call 0115 9758810.

Wednesday, 5 January 2011

A food blending firm, whose clients have products on the shelves of nearly all major supermarkets, has been given support from the Food and Drink iNet to help overhaul its IT system and improve customer service.

FoodBlenders, based in Market Harborough and now in its 13th year of trading, is a bespoke manufacturer of seasonings, sauces and gravy powders.

The firm supplies pie and ready meal manufacturers, meat processors, bakeries and other food and drink manufacturers throughout the UK. FoodBlenders’ products are included in a large range of finished goods, many of which can be found in all the major multiples, including Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda and Tesco.

Now FoodBlenders has successfully applied for support from the Food and Drink iNet so it can further develop its IT system to streamline and simplify its internal systems and allow it to collate technical information in whatever format customers require, at the touch of a button.

FoodBlenders was awarded innovation advice and guidance worth nearly £3,600 by the Food and Drink iNet. The company will now match that amount with its own investment.

“It is fantastic to have received this support from the iNet,” said Liz Halstead, FoodBlenders’ finance director. “Their advisor was excellent and gave us a lot of support and guidance and we were delighted to be successful in our application. They made their decision as to whether we would get an award very promptly, which has allowed us to move ahead with the project immediately.”

The £7,000 plus IT project got underway at the end of 2010 and marked the second milestone in six months for FoodBlenders. In July, the firm was awarded an A grade BRC accreditation (British Retail Consortium), which has already provided many new opportunities for the company.

Dominic Forty, production director for FoodBlenders, said: “Since gaining this accreditation we have already brought on board several new, large national customers and are excited about the potential for the future.”

FoodBlenders sources its ingredients from the UK, Europe and throughout the world and is a member of Valid IT, which ensures top quality ingredients and traceability, both of which are crucial within the food industry. The company has an on-site product development facility, and the highly trained technical staff, led by technical manager Dianne Collins, are able to provide bespoke blends to suit each customer’s demands. This can range from matching an existing product in the marketplace, or coming up with new and exciting recipes to suit each individual customer’s brief. Once a recipe has been approved by a client, it is then confidential and unique to that customer.

FoodBlenders also manufactures a complete range of gluten-free bakery products, including the Dietary Specials range, which is found in the frozen ready meals section in several major supermarkets.

The iNet helps food and drink firms engage expertise from academia, research institutions and specialist business advice for innovation projects to develop new ideas, new products, new processes and to help companies grow. 50% of the equivalent cash value of the support must be contributed by the company.

Andrew Butterwick, Food and Drink iNet director, said he was happy to support FoodBlenders: “With its new BRC award in place, FoodBlenders is really taking off as a company, so we were more than happy to support its development in this way.”

Funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Food and Drink iNet co-ordinates innovation support for businesses, universities and individuals working in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands. One of four regional iNets, it has developed an effective network to link academic and private sector expertise and knowledge with local food and drink business innovation needs.

The Food and Drink iNet also aims to build on the tradition of innovation in the food and drink industry in the region by helping to create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills, and to help research, develop and implement new products, markets, services and processes. It is managed by a consortium, led by the Food & Drink Forum and including Food Processing Faraday, Nottingham Trent University, the University of Lincoln, and the University of Nottingham. It is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, with advisors covering the East Midlands region.

Tuesday, 4 January 2011

Business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum has appointed Mark Nicholson as its new manufacturing innovation manager.

Mark will operate across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland offering support and advice to help the region’s food and drink manufacturers to discover more efficient ways of operating.

Previously an adviser with Business Link Yorkshire and before that a freelance business coach, Mark has spent 17 years in operations, specifically in the food sector. He has worked in the frozen sector for McCain, in confectionery for Needlers, and in fresh produce for MBM.

His role at The Food and Drink Forum includes helping to deliver the second phase of the CHIEFS project in collaboration with Food Processing Faraday and Optimat Ltd. The project, which aims to champion innovation between the engineering and food sectors, is being delivered on behalf of East Midlands Development Agency (emda) with funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

“I am delighted to join The Food and Drink Forum as manufacturing innovation manager,” said Mark.

“I am passionate about helping food and drink businesses to think more creatively, and really enthusiastic about innovative and novel approaches to business improvement.”

Mark’s specialist skills include the use of lean and continuous improvement methods for food businesses, the application of environmental technology, the deployment of motivational/behavioural strategy and systems thinking.

He will be offering support in improving production efficiencies, specifying and purchasing new equipment, managing and delivering turn key engineering projects, process mapping and value stream analysis, waste minimisation and resource efficiency, top team, middle and junior management training, and coaching and mentoring.

Fiona Anderson, managing director of The Food and Drink Forum, which is based at the Business Centre at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham, said: “Mark’s appointment will help The Food and Drink Forum to build on the support that we offer the sector in the East Midlands. Manufacturing efficiencies can bring immediate cost savings, as well as a range of other benefits, and are a popular service that we offer to our members and on a commercial basis to food and drink firms around the region.”

Married with three grown-up children, Mark’s qualifications include a BSc in Human Ecology and an MSc in Food Inspection & Control. He is also a certified trainer in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and a licensed facilitator in two psychometric profiling tools.

He loves the great outdoors, enjoys hill walking and his favourite food is curry.

The Food and Drink Forum is one of the region’s largest business support organisations, championing the food and drink sector in the East Midlands through a variety of different ways.

Monday, 3 January 2011

Why not make 2011 the year to get your message across more effectively and efficiently?

Perfect 10 PR is here to help review your public relations activities and expand your strategy so you can really create an impact.

After a busy 2010 working with clients in the food and drink, construction, education, leisure and commercial vehicle sectors we are looking forward to raising the profile of existing and new clients. So, in 2011, why not make it your New Year's resolution to focus on public relations.

Our experience of print and broadcast media - and their associated websites - will ensure you get the most out of "traditional" communications. But is your business on Facebook? Do you need help and advice about how to exploit social media? Does your website need fresh material or would you like to update your clients regularly with an e-newsletter.

Just some of the coverage for our clients in 2010

As well as extensive coverage in local newspapers, on radio and TV, Croots Farm Shop was named as one of the UK's top ten independent food retailers in the national Observer Food Monthly's 2010 awards.

Anila's Authentic Sauces has already been voted Best Vegan Product for 2011 in the Veggie Awards run by Cook Vegetarian! Magazine.

About Perfect 10 PR

Perfect 10 PR is run by Louise Duffield, who has worked in the media industry since 1987. As a qualified journalist, who has written for both regional and national newspapers and magazines, Louise knows how the media works and what makes a good story.

Here you will find details of client news, updates from Perfect 10 PR, which is based in Nottingham, and the occasional comment.